Lizz 2013: The Windbags Beneath My Wings

Say goodbye to 2013 — in all of its horrid, gory detail — with Lizz Winstead as she looks back at the past 12 months at the Cedar Cultural Center. Winstead, a Twin Cities native, Daily Show co-creator, and longtime comedian and author, has spent the last month trying to winnow down a year that includes everything from a government shutdown to the botched roll-out of Obamacare to a host of celebrities being stupid into a fun evening for all. "I used to be thankful when Congress would go on winter break. Now they just never stop being crazy. I could do an hour on Ted Cruz. I have to compress a year of material into three or four or five of the best jokes because there is so much to talk about," Winstead says. The New Year's Eve shows have been a part of the local landscape for five years, but now have expanded to two evenings (Saturday and Tuesday) and moved to the Cedar. Along with politics (and the ongoing war on women), there are plenty of people to skewer, such as everyone's favorite crackhead mayor, Rob Ford. Winstead uses video and other visual aids to bring home the madness. The whole vibe is "old friends together gossiping at a party. It's a very fun way to present material rather than hammer you over the head," she says. And never forget that this is a comedy show. "The goal of the night is to have a big catharsis for an insane year. A lot of folks have had a rough year. People come to have a laugh after a good year or a bad year or something in between," Winstead says. Sam Breckinridge opens. (Photo by Mindy Tucker)Tuesdays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Starts: Dec. 28. Continues through Dec. 31, 2013